Two years ago an assistant coach at BYU told me that spinning is a big part of their dryland training. I want to try it but where can I find time? It's hard enough just to do an hour or so in the pool with job and family commitments.
I went spinning this week because only 1 swim. :( Bad eyes.
I spun all my second baby fat off too. I used to go 3x week at 9:30 pm after the tuck in with another mommy friend. I loved it. I think it would be great for building leg strength and a good substitute if you couldn't swim. I don't take that show on the road though, as I'm a little leery of all the cyclists and tris and cars here. Don't want to get run over.
My daughter's USS team does dryland spinning too. I haven't really tested it to see if it would specifically help swimming. I'm sure many would say no. But if you can't swim mega yardage, it has to better better than doing nothing and may yield some aerobic or strengthening benefits?
Spinning is great, I know the Cal team and Natalie Coughlin do it frequently. I think it's great for the legs, and unlike running doesn't kill ankle flexibility. Beth, you should totally do it while you are building back to the pool!
im not gonna be much help, but I would love to try a spinning class. Unfortunatly your suppose to attend a beginners class first just to learn how to set up your bike and the basics...and my gym only offers the beginner class one time a week and it never works into my schedule. I would imagine it would be a great cross training activity,.
I'm considering doing a spin class to get some extra aerobic endurance. Does anyone else do this? If so, has it helped your swimming?
Two years ago an assistant coach at U of U told me that spinning is a big part of their dryland training. I want to try it but where can I find time? It's hard enough just to do an hour or so in the pool with job and family commitments.
Stanford I think it was does spinning three times a week. My assistant coach went with them one time and he said he almost died by the end of their workout...and then he came to find out that was only the first half of the workout. haha
I don't know how it helps with swimming, but I love it. So much so that I actually have a spin bike in my basement (and I've been cleared to ride it again - YAY :groovy:).
Like Fortress mentioned it is a great calorie burn. I also love that you can jump in to a class matter what level you're at - just adjust the resistance accordingly.
Morgan - you might ask the instructor if they would be willing to come in a few minutes early to show you how to set up and work the bike. I know the instructors at our club will do that. It's worth a shot anyway.
maybe all you spinners can tell me how you avoid having the seat from leaving two little bruises? The BF thought they were 'cute' but (lol) sitting for a couple of days was unpleasant. I can't do an entire class because the seat just isn't comfortable.
Unpleasant-feeling bike seats are a way of life. Lance Armstrong first thought his cancer growth was from irritation caused by his bike seat, a pain that he says any cyclist just grows accustomed to ignoring.
Buy a GOOD pair of padded bike shorts, they'll help.
Padded bike shorts are a bike persons best friend! I had major pain until I bought mine. I got some cheap ones ($24) at Performance. We also got new bikes that are padded well and awesome.
imspoiled, I have some asthmatic-like attacks during class, too (but have notbeen diagnosed wtih asthma). I find if I breathe into a towel, I can get past the attack and do well.
Alison
I avoid the uncomfortable seat thing by spinning in a standing position (or ina semi-standing position) for large parts of the spin class
All the classes I've been in the instructor dictates what parts to be do standing and what parts to do seated, so that wouldn't work unless you just ignored the instructions :)
I admit those bike seat are hard on the butt, but usually I can handle a one hour class without too much discomfort.
I haven't done spin class in a while, but used to often (we had a 5 bike spin class at our refinery at 5:30 am, how cool was that?) Judging by the amount of sweat dripping off me, it was a fantastic workout and definitely made my legs stronger from hip to toe. If you have cruddy knees (I do) it might help to keep the toe clips a little loose to allow some wiggle room for your knees.
Good luck finding some nice shorts, Laineybug! One tip about the bike shorts - they are meant to be worn without underwear. You will cut down on your chafing significantly because the bike short liner in made to wick moisture away quite nicely. The tri shorts are nice for tri's, but not really padded enough to make a big difference in a spin class bottom soreness.
